recurve

/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/

//ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"recurve" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recurve” is uncommon English (frequency #83,668 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,668
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of knife blade shape that involves several curves including a concave curve on a portion of the edge, resulting in a belly that is lower than the handle bottom.

Key facts for recurve
PropertyValue
Headwordrecurve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/
Letters7
Frequency rank#83,668
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “recurve” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). recurve lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

recurve is uncommon English at frequency #83,668 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for recurve, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From re- + curve. The correct English form is recurve, spelled R-E-C-U-R-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of knife blade shape that involves several curves including a concave curve on a portion of the edge, resulting in a belly that is lower than the handle bottom.
  2. 2
    A recurve bow.
  3. 3
    A landform consisting of a hook at the tip of a coastal spit.

Etymology

From re- + curve.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "recurve"?
"recurve" is spelled R-E-C-U-R-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/.
What does "recurve" mean?
As a noun, "recurve" means: A type of knife blade shape that involves several curves including a concave curve on a portion of the edge, resulting in a belly that is lower than the handle bottom.
How do you pronounce "recurve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recurve" is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "recurve"?
From re- + curve. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “recurve”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-U-R-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list